A Burmese cargo or trading boat, on the Irrawaddy

Photograph with a beam view of a laung-zat or paddy boat moored at the side of the Irrawaddy River, taken by J. Jackson in c.1868, part of an album of 43 views of Burma (Myanmar) from the Sladen Collection. The laung-zat is a traditional Burmese river vessel and was used to transport rice to Rangoon (Yangon). In the 19th century rice was Burma’s main agricultural crop and its largest export. The boat’s distinctive profile is clearly shown: a long, narrow hull, with a high stern, and lower bow swept up from the bottom. At the aft end the helmsman sits beneath a shelter on a raised seat.